Out-of-State Corporate Special Interests Spend $1.7 Million on Attack Ads for Ron Johnson

MADISON- Fresh from what marks at least his fifth Washington D.C. fund-raiser to raise money from corporate special interests and career politicians, Ron Johnson now has corporate special interests rushing to his aid with hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack ads.

"Ron Johnson has made it clear whose side he's on — corporate special interests, lobbyists and the Wall Street banks that got us into this economic mess," said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. "Ron Johnson will vote in lockstep with Republican leaders who want to advance the agenda of Washington corporate lobbyists."

Aside from taking $5,000 from Koch PAC for his campaign, Johnson has benefited from $1.3 million in TV ads from outside groups, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee has reserved another $464,000 of advertising time. Among the sleazy outside groups spending on Johnson's behalf:

The Committee for Political Truth $600,000 spent to dateAgenda: Unfair Trade Deals That Ship Jobs Overseas

Launched by a North Carolina Republican operative, the shadowy out-of-state organization has fought to hide the source of the group's money. National Public Radio reported:

Formed by Republicans such as former Bush political operative Karl Rove, Nixon political operative Fred Malek and Norm Coleman, the organization is guided by extremists with a history of intolerance and funded by millionaires who back the Bush agenda of unfair trade deals that ship jobs overseas and cutting taxes for the rich.

The organization supported unfair trade deals such as the Panama and Columbia Trade Deals, even though unfair trade deals have led to at least 64,000 Wisconsin workers losing their jobs. [AAN, accessed: 4/20/10]

Johnson has taken the same stand as AAN on trade, saying in July that unfair trade deals “have actually been successful for our economy.”[WPR 7/26/10]

Malek, the organization's chairman, was denied a post by the U.S. Senate because as a member of the Nixon Administration he killed a lawsuit on blatantly political grounds that sought to end discriminatory hiring practices at the University of Texas. Malek resigned from the RNC in disgrace in 1988 after he was exposed for playing a role in the Nixon administration's plans to discriminate against members of the administration of Jewish descent.

Another Republican affiliated with the group, Haley Barbour, spoke at the white supremacist group, "Council of Conservative Citizens," an organization that regularly publishes articles condemning "race mixing," and laments the decline of white, European civilization.” (Southern Poverty Law Center, “Council of Conservative Citizens,”)

George Allen, a board member of American Action Network, was criticized by a Washington Post editorial for his use of a racial slur towards S.R. Sidarth, an Indian-American tracker for Jim Webb’s campaign. [Washington Post Editorial, 8/15/06]

Bankrolled by Wall Street special interests, Club For Growth has been attacked by fellow Republicans for its extreme agenda that supports the rich. Senator John McCain’s office has said the club is a ‘bagman for the ultra rich.’” [Washington Post, 1/17/03].

Club for Growth has called for the privatization of social security, and says its "first policy goal" is the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich even while it opposes an increase in the minimum wage. [Club for Growth, Online]

Americans for Prosperity is led by David Koch, whose companies have been repeatedly fined for environmental violations. In 2000, the EPA gave the company a massive fine for causing more than 300 oil spills across six states. [Bangor Daily News, 11/16/05] And the company has faced charges for illegally releasing benzene from an oil refinery, pled guilty for hiding information from investigators, among other charges.

AFP has a history of lobbying against efforts to reform energy and environmental policy. Koch PAC gave Johnson $5,000 on July 16. Johnson and Koch share a similar extremist philosophy, and have tried to invent their own set of facts to deny climate change.

David Koch praising climate change:

“The Earth will be able to support enormously more people because a far greater land area will be available to produce food,” he says. [New York Magazine, 7/25/10]